Preston and West Brom draw blank

Championship promotion rivals Preston and West Brom cancelled each other out in a 0-0 draw at Deepdale.

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Leroy Lita celebrates scoring against his old club

The two sides are among the favourites to gain promotion to the Premier League, but there were few glimpses of genuine quality in a drab encounter.

Albion remain in second place as a result of the draw, three points behind leaders Newcastle, whose game against Bristol City ended goalless, while Preston slip to fifth.

Middlesbrough eased some of the pressure on manager Gareth Southgate with a 2-0 victory over Reading at the Madejski Stadium. Sean St Ledger grabbed the opener for the Teessiders, heading home Adam Johnson's cross in the 12th minute to register his first goal for the club.

And Leroy Lita - back at his old club - added a brilliant second 10 minutes after the break as he raced down half the pitch before lashing it into the back of the net.

Martyn Waghorn's second-half strike earned Leicester a point against Coventry at the Ricoh Arena. Sammy Clingan fired the hosts into a first-half lead with a sensational free-kick - his third goal in four Championship matches. But Waghorn equalised after 71 minutes with a shot on the run from the edge of the box.

Watford made a bright start at home to Cardiff, but it was to prove a false dawn as Peter Whittingham's penalty put the Bluebirds ahead before Adam Matthews' free-kick from around 50 yards deceived Watford goalkeeper Scott Loach and drifted into the net.

The game was all but over in the 66th minute when Whittingham headed in a third and things went from bad to worse seconds later when Jay Bothroyd capped a stunning performance with a brilliant fourth.

At the other end of the table, Roy Keane's poor luck continues after Jonathan Macken's stoppage-time winner for Barnsley deprived Ipswich of a valuable point.

Iain Hume scored for the second consecutive game to give Barnsley the lead before Liam Rosenior's header brought Ipswich level. The hosts were awarded a controversial penalty in the 74th minute but Hume smashed it against the crossbar.

However, Ipswich's luck was shortlived as Macken grabbed all three points with virtually the last kick of the game.

Fellow strugglers Peterborough slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Nottingham Forest. Aaron Mclean headed Peterborough in front five minutes into the second half but their lead lasted a matter of seconds before Radoslaw Majewski levelled with his third goal of the season and Paul Anderson fired Forest into the lead five minutes later.

Plymouth finally recorded their first win at Home Park with a 2-1 victory over Scunthorpe. The Pilgrims had lost their previous four home games but went in front thanks to Rory Fallon's 57th-minute header.

Gary Hooper levelled from the spot after Romain Larrieu had brought down Martyn Woolford in the area but Plymouth immediately restored their advantage thanks to Alan Judge's penalty after he was fouled by Josh Lillis.

Crystal Palace cruised to a 4-1 victory in their game against Blackpool. Alex Baptiste briefly headed his side back into the game seven minutes after the break following first-half goals from Alan Lee and Neil Danns, but Palace swiftly restored their two-goal advantage thanks to Darren Ambrose and Alassane N'Diaye added a fourth.

Lee Croft's 17th-minute strike sent Derby on their way to 3-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 at Pride Park. James McEveley volley in a second and Rob Hulse sealed the result from the spot.

Elsewhere, James Hayter scored on the stroke of half-time to give Doncaster a scarcely-deserved lead against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, But on-loan striker Richard Cresswell equalised with a brave diving header on his first start.

QPR shot themselves in the foot at the Liberty Stadium as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Swansea, ending the game with nine men. Martin Rowlands was dismissed for a second yellow in the 53rd minute but it was not until 21 minutes later that Mark Gower fired Swansea in front. Things went from bad to worse for the visitors two minutes later when Ben Watson also saw red and Lee Trundle made sure of the points soon after.